Interview by Best Actor & Director Awards – New York
Interview with the director Chris Caccioppoli, Outstanding Performance Award Winner for the M0ckumentary ‘Vax’
Hi, Chris! Thank you for granting this interview and sincere congratulations on your ‘Outstanding Performance’ Award! You wrote, produced and directed the film ‘Vax’. What should the audience expect to see?
The audience can expect to see an absurd, surreal mockumentary about a post-apocalyptic world where only the anti-vaxxers survive. My advice to anyone watching this movie is to simply embrace the ridiculousness of the film and take this farcical journey with the characters as they embark on their comedy of errors.
And with a title like Vax, I feel obligated to say that this is not a propaganda film; the cast and crew and I are fully vaccinated and support the vaccine. But the film doesn’t poke fun at people who have different beliefs either, the pandemic is simply the setting in which these quirky characters meet.
Tell us a bit about your background. When did you decide to become a filmmaker?
I’ve been a storyteller since before I could write. A writer since before I knew how to use a camera. And a visual artist since I was fourteen. I was fortunate enough to go to a High School that had access to a lot of production equipment, and I took to directing and editing right away. I ran my school’s TV station since my freshman year, and when I went to college, I created a weekly TV series that had success in the competitive collegiate circuit.
I made the switch from TV to film shortly after graduation and started writing and producing shorts in NYC. I quickly fell in love with festivals and the independent film scene and have been making movies ever since. I always challenge myself to tackle new topics and styles, and over the years I have won Grand Prize at a 72 Hour Shootouts and over twenty awards for my films about the misrepresentation of marginalized groups in media.
The Director Chris Caccioppoli with the poster of ‘Vax’
What are the directors that inspire you the most?
I wish I had a few obscure, artistic, foreign directors to rattle off, but I think I am most inspired by the living legends. I’ll watch anything Martin Scorsese or Christopher Nolan direct, and as someone who has made a good number of mockumentaries, I obviously hold Christopher Guest in high regard. He elevated the genre with Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, and I still consider his work to be the gold standard.
My one wild card here would have to be Charlie Kaufman. I know he’s more of a writer than a director, but I think he did a great job directing Synecdoche, New York. Having the main character’s apartment be on fire for decades in that film still makes me laugh to this day. Maybe I am biased, since I also like to write fantastical and absurd comedy, but I think he is a quiet genius and I consider him a filmmaker to admire.
Where did you get the inspiration from for creating your story? What about your characters?
Actor/Producers James Morgan, Manoli Ioannidis, and I periodically meet to keep each other creatively motivated. We knew we wanted to producer something we could make quickly, cheaply, and with a small crew due to COVID concerns. So, I pitched this concept I had in my head for a while that was simply “a mockumentary about anti-vaxxers being the last people on earth.” The idea was probably my subconscious’ reaction to the drama in the news and all the conspiracy theories on social media; and with a logline like that, the story kind of wrote itself.
There were some natural archetypes that bubbled to the surface: the religious zealot, the dooms-day prepper, the extreme environmentalist, and so on. It honestly didn’t take long to arrive at the ensemble, and once the producers and I felt good about the characters, I turned around the screenplay in about a day and a half.
I let myself discovery-write this script, which is why seemingly unrelated elements, like Wowzers Industries, are such a big part of the story. I wanted to mock all the companies – especially consumer packaged goods companies – that capitalized on panic buying during the pandemic. So, I added a storyline of two salesmen at this sleazy company trying to make a buck in a world where money probably doesn’t even matter anymore.
Do you have any on set stories you would like to share?
Well, the day we filmed at the beach was pretty brutal. The weather went from 80 degrees and sunny the day before to 50 degrees and windy the day of the shoot. Plus, the bathrooms on the boardwalk (which were open when we scouted) were locked, and the closest establishment was a twenty-minute walk. Needless to say, everyone involved was freezing and uncomfortable. But, as a director, you need to see the positive in any situation. The horrible conditions scared away beachgoers, so the entire shoreline was empty, and when you’re making a movie where your characters are the last people left in the world, that really helps sell the story. I must give credit to the actors though. They hid their discomfort well, especially Manoli Ioannidis (Mateo) and Matt Mindell (Aberdeen) who were submerged in the frigid Atlantic Ocean.
Another quick story: on the first day of production, a podiatrist friend of mine helped on set. As soon as he mentioned what he did for a living, people’s shoes came off and the staging area became a makeshift doctor’s office where free, heavily disclaimed consultations were being begrudgingly handed out.
How did you choose your Cast? Was this your first time working with them? How was it to work with such talented actors?
I’m the kind of filmmaker who has loyalty to his actors. This is my seventh film with Matt Mindell (Aberdeen), my fourth film with James Morgan (Dustin) and Manoli Ioannidis (Mateo), and I had acted in another film with Llewellyn Connolly (Glenn) before. They are so amazingly funny and talented that casting them was non-negotiable. And being that almost everyone I just listed studied at William Esper Studios, I did a casting call there and found Jazmine Corneille (Zoe) and Natalia Borges (Sunbeam), both of whom I hope to work with again in the future.
This really was an ensemble performance. Everyone embodied their character so well that I can’t imagine any other actors in these roles. I already had a rapport with Matt, Manoli, James, and Llewellyn, so it felt natural to work with them again. But this was my first time directing Jazmine and Natalia, and it was actually Natalia’s debut film.
Jazmine is a prime example of an actor who reinvents what is on the page. From her first audition, she threw out what I had imagined for Zoe and brought this frantic energy to the role that made the character stand out in ways I didn’t expect. And Natalia was so well rehearsed and professional that virtually every take of her was usable, which was pretty impressive for someone new to film.
We know you also wrote, produced, edited and played the character of Dennis in ‘Vax’. What did you enjoy the most about working the film? What did you find more challenging?
To me, directing is the thing that happens between me writing the film with words and me writing the film with pictures. On set, I am hyper focused on getting things done on time and obtaining the shots I need to edit. I basically edit in my mind while filming, so I never take a shot for longer than I know I am going to use it for (which I admit can be annoying to the performers at times).
That being said, the most enjoyable part about directing for me is seeing the performances. It’s like having a front row seat to a play that only you get to experience. And when you work with great performers like these, it’s a masterclass in acting. Which leads me to the most challenging part for me: acting. I’m not a trained actor, so I still have so many rookie questions: What do I do with my hands? What do I do when I’m not saying lines? How do I act in the moment and not just force emotion? I foolishly gave myself a short monologue in this film, and without exaggeration, I practiced it for weeks. If you were to see recordings of my early rehearsals, I’d be quite embarrassed. But I simply enjoy making people laugh so much that I keep giving myself roles. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be a decent actor one day.
When you’re working with your actors, do you like to leave room for improvisation or do you prefer to stick to the script?
I need to talk out of both sides of my mouth to answer this question. In a drama, the way you say something can matter just as much as what you are saying. But when it comes to comedy, especially in the style I employ, word choice is extremely important. Even rearranging the word order in a line runs the risk of spoiling the joke. I mean, the basic anatomy of a joke is a setup and a punchline, so if you mess up the setup, you mess up the punchline. That is why I always want the cast to be as close to the script as possible.
But as an actor, I am horrible at sticking to the script. I improvise all the time and totally see the value of being spontaneous. Especially when I am acting against another natural improviser like Matt or Jazmine. So, if an actor wants to test things out, I always give them the opportunity, because you never know when you will hit gold. But I make sure we get what is scripted first.
So, I’d say this film is 85% verbatim, 15% improvisation.
What is the message that ‘Vax’ conveys?
At its core, Vax has a message of ‘love they neighbour.’ Most of these characters are ridiculous and overzealous and self-righteous, but when they cast aside their predispositions, a newer, stronger community starts to emerge.
What’s next for you? What are you working on at the moment?
Well, I’m always writing something. At the moment, I am finishing up a couple of feature scripts; one is a horror; the other is a superhero origin story of sorts. But, since it’s me, they are both heavily infused with humor and absurdity, and hopefully bring something new to their respective genres. I would love to be in production on a feature within the next year, so, fingers crossed. I can’t say too much about the projects right now, but as we go into pre-production, I will be active on Instagram about it, especially for casting.
Connecting to Chris Caccioppoli:
Official Website: www.chimeraentertainment.com
Chris’ Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrisetcetera
Chimera Entertainment’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/chimera_entertainment
